1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a repeater system which transfers data for user traffic with a repeater function in an information and communication system and a charging method therefor.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known that a conventional information and communication system uses a charging system which charges according to the communication time and the distance between user terminals (end user terminals), as typically seen in telephone traffic.
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a mobile communication system model. When an end user terminal 111 calls an end user terminal 113, the end user terminals are connected by a wireless network 105 through base stations 108 and 109 in the area to which the end users belong. In this case, charge calculation equipment 103 performs charging according to the communication time, distance, etc.
The end user terminal 111 can also communicate with an end user terminal 114 through a gateway machine 106, which interconnects the wireless network 105 and a public telephony network 107, by way of a telephone switchboard 110 of the telephony network 107.
The end user terminal 111 can access a server machine 101 of an information service provider through a gateway machine 104 interconnecting the wireless network 105 and the Internet (IP network) 102 in order to receive information service. The charging method for this type of information and communications service is disclosed in European Patent Application Publication EP 1 026 853 A1.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory drawing for a charging method used in an information and communication network. First, an information service provider takes the server registration procedure with a communications service provider to enter information about the server machine 101 in the gateway machine 104 of the communications service provider. When the end user terminal 111 accesses the registered server machine 101, the gateway machine 104 makes a judgment and the charge calculation equipment 103 creates a database of charge. This process establishes a charging system in which the communications service provider charges the utilization fee for information service provider and the utilization fee for communications service provider to the end user, collects the fees and pays the collected utilization fee for information service provider to the information service provider, as shown in FIG. 2.
On the other hand, some network systems, typically private LAN (Local Area Network) and wireless LAN, use their own local networks to provide information and communications service only within the local networks and do not have such a charging system as mentioned above.
Further, another known approach is an ad hoc network in which a group of terminals updates routing information autonomously in a decentralized way; however, there is not any known charging system for such a spontaneous network.
As stated above, the conventional charging system by which a communications service provider installs charge calculation equipment to charge utilization fees in a predetermined manner does not cover dynamically installed repeater machines as seen in an ad hoc network.
In recent years, as short distance wireless communication systems such as wireless LAN and Bluetooth have been introduced, an end user terminal has become able to have a repeater function for an ad hoc network. With this background, there is demand for a new charging system by which an end user can receive cash back in exchange for the offered repeater function resources including terminal batteries.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the charging method for an information and communication network comprises: user terminals which are owned by users receiving information and communications service; base stations which provide access to the network owned by a communications service provider; repeater machines as terminals with repeater function owned by persons other than the communications service provider, which transfer data between the user terminals and the base stations or between the user terminals; and a charging system to be connected to the network of the communications service provider. As each of the repeater machines receives a communication session start request from a user terminal, it searches for a destination user terminal; when it finds the destination terminal, it transfers the signal sent from the requesting user terminal to the destination user terminal without the mediation of the base stations and sends information about the amount of communication data (data thus transferred) or the communication time for the data transfer to the charging system.
Other aspects of the present invention will be clarified later in the paragraphs which give a detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention.